Pakistan mourns Dr Ruth’s death

PAKISTAN’S magic leprosy healer Dr Ruth Pfau passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 87 in Karachi. She was founder of the National Leprosy Control Programme in Pakistan and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi and in all provinces of Pakistan including Gilgit-Baltistan. Dr Pfau had been living in Pakistan since 1960 and came to the country at the age of 29. She had dedicated the last 50 years of her life to treating patients in Pakistan.
The entire Pakistan is mourning the death of Dr. Ruth as it did when legendary philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away in July last year. It is because of her selfless service to the humanity that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has announced state funeral for Dr. Ruth. She was born in Germany and sent to Pakistan in 1960 by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary, a congregation of nuns that she was a member of, for a medical service for students. After witnessing the plight of leprosy patients, she decided to settle here. She was granted citizenship in 1988. Though leprosy is not a life threatening disease but disfiguring of skin and body tissues have health, social and economic consequences and its successful treatment matters much for the patient. It was due to her endless struggle that Pakistan defeated leprosy and became free from it in 1996. Dr Ruth Pfau received numerous accolades for her services; Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 1979, Hilal-i-Pakistan in 1989 and the German Staufer Medal in 2015. Dr Ruth has set a bright example of how with dedication and commitment a noble goal can be realised. May her soul rest in peace.